//------------------------------// // Ch. 4: The Pony of Art and Inspiration // Story: Assist me!! Princess Luna! // by Hallowedsoul //------------------------------// I DESIRE YOUR ASSIsTANCE!! AUNT LUNA! The lights dim as the curtain rises, revealing a room regally decorated in dark blue with a large bed covered in fine silk sheets, and an elegant wooden desk set up across from it. It appears to belong to some kind of royalty. A spotlight shines down from above on an equine-like creature with a dark blue coat, a mane and tail that flow as if being blown by a calm breeze, both of which also appear to have been taken straight out of the night sky, along with a pair of large wings on her side and a long horn on her head. The hair on her flank is black with a white crescent moon and a single white star on it, and she is also wearing an onyx tiara and neckpiece along with silver slippers on her hooves. She looks straight ahead when the spotlight shines on her and smiles sweetly. “Greetings, wayward foals.” She begins soothingly “I am known as Princess Luna; Raiser of the Moon and Ruler of Equestria alongside my sister, Princess Celestia.” Luna glances around for a moment before returning her attention to the front. “Though we are not physically present in Equestria at this time; I am merely projecting my room in the Royal Canterlot Castle into the Dream-scape.” As if seeing this was met with confusion, she began to pace slowly in the room in a manner one would if giving a lecture, her head turned slightly to the front. “To assist you in understanding, ‘tis a mysterious room; a room where you can do as you please.” She stops and faces forward. “In all honesty, ‘tis a sanctuary for the sad, wayward foals are unable to attain their true purpose in life; ‘tis an ‘Avalon’, so to speak.” She begins to pace back slowly toward the center with a grimace on her face. “If you are one of those fools who believes they do not require assistance, or who only wishes to discover hidden secrets, THEN BEGONE FROM THIS PLACE!” She stated, ending with a small exclamation in the Royal Canterlot Voice and jabbing a hoof offstage. She sighs and faces forward again. “Wayward foal of the night, I grant you entry.” And with that, she trots over to the left side of the room and sits upon a cushion, facing the other side. When she does, the most unusual pony enters. He is tall, slightly more so than Luna, and possesses both a horn and wings, which designates him as an Alicorn. However, this was not his most astonishing feature; that belongs to his coat and mane coloration. His coat was jet black and his neatly styled mane a brilliant silver, but what drew the eye to them was the fact that they shimmered a different color with every little movement of his body. His eyes, a deep emerald green, were the same way. He smiles as he trots forward and takes a seat on the opposite side of the room as Luna. "Hello, Aunt Luna, it's a pleasure to see you again!" He says, his smooth voice carrying easily over to the Princess, who gives him a smile of her own "I do not quite recognize this place; would you mind telling me where I am and why I am here?" "It is good to see you as well, Spectra. To answer your questions, we are in a Dream-scape projection of my bedchambers." She replies "And you are here because you apparently need assistance; would you mind sharing with me?" Spectra put a hoof up to his chin in thought, before shrugging and smiling at the Moon Princess. "Nothing comes to mind, Luna. As far as I know, I'm doing just fine with my life." He replies and stands "Well, it was great seeing you again but I'm afraid I'm rather busy, so I really must get going." "Just a moment, Spectra." Luna says, holding up a hoof "Are you sure you do not need any help?" "Yes, Aunt." He replies. "Are you positive?" "Quite." Luna sighs and puts a hoof to her chin in thought. "Are you absolutely, positively, 100% sure that nothing is troubling you?" She asks and this time, Spectra's face betrays a bit of doubt. "Well..." He begins, but shakes his head briefly and giving Luna a bright smile "No, I am sure; there is nothing wrong." Luna stares at him briefly, before standing up and trotting offstage. Spectra looked around cautiously, then craned his head and cocked an ear to try and listen for his Aunt. When he did, he began to hear voices whispering frantically somewhere out of sight. "What's going on here, Professor?! Why is my Nephew here when there's nothing wrong with him?!" "I don't know, Luna! This has never happened before!" "Is there some way we can let him out?" "Honestly? I have no damn clue, I barely understand how things work with my own show. I don't think he'd be here for no damn reason at all, though; he might be lying to you about his problems." "Are you saying my Nephew is capable of lying to his favorite Aunt?!" "Considering everyone in your family tends to be very mischievous at times, I'm going to say yes, yes he is." There was silence, and Spectra dug into his ear with a hoof before "cupping" his ear with it and straining to try and hear something, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth in an extremely concentrated expression. "I refuse to believe that Spectra, my Nephew, is lying to me. If you think he is, you can talk to him; I'm going to get a fizzy drink." Spectra heard the distant sound of another door opening and then slamming shut. He straightened up in his seat as he heard strange hoofsteps coming toward him, and his jaw dropped when Professor Kokonoe appeared on stage. She stopped, crossed her arms over her chest and stared carefully at him. "Alright, buddy, spill the beans; where did you go wrong?" She asks him curtly, but Spectra gives her a calm smile. "Like I told my Aunt, there is nothing wrong with me." He replies, but Kokonoe gives him a glare that could roast marshmallows "Is... something the matter?" "I'm gonna be frank with you-" She begins but Spectra interrupts her. "That's good, because you haven't told me your name yet, 'Frank'." He says, a grin on his face. Kokonoe stares at him in shock for a moment before she busts out laughing. "Oh, well done." She says, wiping the tears from her eyes "I walked right into that one, didn't I?" Then she clears her throat and gives Spectra a superior expression "I am Professor Kokonoe, genius scientist and ruler of the Sector Seven Laboratory." "And I am Spectra, Alicorn Prince of Art." He replies with a slight bow and Kokonoe gapes at him "Well, I haven't officially been crowned as a Prince; it's just a name some ponies have taken to calling me. They believe that I'm the patron saint of artists in Equestria for some reason." "Oh yeah? And why would they think that?" "I sometimes appear before certain ponies and... Inspire their artistic talents." He says, the turns his body slightly to show his cutie mark "After all, it's my special talent; Inspiration." Spectra's cutie mark was a design similar to Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, but instead of a human, it displayed a pony... in much the same manner. "So what you're saying is..." Kokonoe began, putting a finger to her chin in thought "You could use your magic to give someone a brilliant idea, when they would otherwise be stumped?" "Not just anypony; they would need to be artistically inclined." Spectra replies, sitting back down "And I don't give them 'ideas'; I merely help... put the pieces together, so to speak." Kokonoe was about to say something else, but then there was a bright flash of light. When Spectra and Kokonoe could see again, they discovered there was a girl wearing a form-fitting suit and strange armor, with eight blade-like objects floating on her back. On her legs were these strange devices that kept her aloft with a subtle whir sound, while on her head was a visor with antennae. The girl looks around robotically before her large red "visor eye" settled on Kokonoe. "Professor, you requested that you be reminded of appointments for show designation 'Help Me-'" The girl began in a monotone voice but Kokonoe cut her off before she could finish. "Yes, thank you, Lambda." Kokonoe said, waving her hand dismissively. The girl still hovered there, staring blankly at the Professor "Dammit... return to the lab and await further instructions, Lambda." "Command acknowledged, Professor; beginning transfer...." She says, and then vanishes in a flash of light. Kokonoe looks back at Spectra, whose face betrayed nothing except mild surprise. "Okay, we got distracted there for a moment." She says and puts one hand on her hip and raises her other arm, a lollipop in her hand "Why don't you drop the act and tell me what's bothering you, Spectra?" He stares at her for a moment, before sighing and looking away. "I am not going to be able to leave until I speak of my troubles, am I?" He asks and Kokonoe shakes her head "Fine, I'll yield; I am currently on a journey across Equestria, and the world itself, in search of that which is truly beautiful, but every time I think I've found it, I am immediately turned away." "Why's that?" "Because... I discover that it's tainted, marred by that which deserves no place amongst Art." He says with a growl, his face contorted by anger "I find that they are made by individuals who care nothing about what they do, or the art that they create. They feel no love for what they make, no passion for their Art; only Greed for their own success and Envy for the success of others. And everywhere I go, I see the same thing." "Really? And what's that, Spectra?" Kokonoe asks and he turns a fierce glare to her. "Prejudice for that which is different; I cannot abide the way many people treat those who are even a tiny bit unusual." He says, then glances away sorrowfully "I see so much beauty and talent among such individuals... and yet they are shunned by others for their differences." "I see..." Kokonoe says, a finger to her chin in thought. Then she snaps her fingers together, having had a brilliant idea "Okay, I've got an idea for you; a bit of... inspiration, you could say." Spectra was silent for a moment, considering her carefully "I'm listening..." "If you care so much about the 'Other People', perhaps you should think of a way you can help them." Kokonoe says, and the prismatic Alicorn looks at her in surprise "I mean, you couldn't possibly treat them any worse than how they are normally treated, right?" "I... yes, you're right!" Spectra says, standing up excitedly "I know exactly what I need to do now, and I have everything I need to do it; thank you, Professor, you have been truly helpful." "No problem, Shiny." She says and begins walking offstage "Wait there a moment, I'm gonna get Luna back out here." Spectra waited where he was patiently, until he eventually heard hoofsteps returning to the room. Then Luna entered, a calm expression on her face. "Hello again, Spectra. Did you have a nice chat with Kokonoe?" She asks and Spectra nods. "Yes, Aunt. She gave me a brilliant idea on what I needed to do to overcome my... issues." He says, and Luna beams at him. "Splendid!" She says with a smile "Would you care to fill your favorite Aunt in on your idea?" "I'm going to build a nightclub that is staffed by beings from the different races of the world and built upon foundations of respect and honor for that which is different." He replies and Luna stares at him in amazement. "That is an ambitious project, Nephew, are you sure you will be able to see it through?" She asks and he nods. "Yes, Aunt Luna, but I must depart now as time is of the essence." He replies, and he turns to leave "After all; Inspiration this great won't last long, I need to move quickly lest I forget it. Farewell, dear Aunt; give Celestia my regards!" "Farewell, Spectra, I hope to see you again soon!" She says, waving goodbye to the prismatic Alicorn. Once he was gone, Luna sighs contentedly "He's such a nice colt." "Yeah." Kokonoe say, poking her head in as the lights dim and the curtains fall, signifying the end of the broadcast "And he's got one hell of a flank; seriously I haven't seen an ass that sweet in years... I wonder if he's into Beast-kin?"